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| The Despicable Duo - Andrew Brons & Nick Griffin, elected as BNP MEPs before the split |
THE
GREEN Party target candidates for the North in the European elections, Cllr
Andrew Cooper and Peter Cranie, have outlined their plans to kick the BNP out
of Europe. Speaking at a fringe meeting at the Green Party's spring conference
in Liverpool they expressed their determination to kick the far right out of
the North West and Yorkshire & Humber regions. These regions elected the
BNP's only members of the European Parliament in 2009.
Andrew
Cooper, lead candidate for Yorkshire and Humber region and a Kirklees
councillor, said:
“It’s
a stain on Yorkshire and Humber that we elected a BNP member to the European
Parliament in 2009 and we're determined to reverse that decision this time. But
rather than focusing on a political party whose days are numbered, I'll be
campaigning on the issues that really matter to people - explaining how we
create more jobs, how we can improve our local economy and how we use practical
solutions to tackle climate change.
"We
want to be proud of our MEPs so that we can say 'there's someone in Brussels
fighting for what I believe in'."
Speaking
about UKIP, Andrew Cooper said "UKIP don’t turn up to vote in the European
Parliament and they’re not involved in the business of the parliament, but
they’re very happy to take the money. Greens have an excellent attendance
record which means we're at the table when crucial decisions are being
made."
The
fringe meeting also welcomed Clara Palliard, PCS Culture Sector President and a
member of Merseyside TUC, who urged her fellow trade unionists to back the
Green Party in May. She highlighted the violence, intimidation and threats
suffered by many anti-racism campaigners in the region and called on trade
unionists to back the Greens.
Clara
Palliard said: "The Green Party is clearly in a good position to beat the
BNP in May. That's why trade unionists across the region are coming out in
favour of the Greens as a robust challenger to the threat of the far right. The
bottom line is we’ve got one fascist too many and that's Griffin. We also have
to be vigilant against the rise of UKIP who are simply fascists in disguise.
UKIP and the mainstream parties would have us believe that austerity is the
only show in town, that the cuts are inevitable. The Green Party rejects that
view and offers an alternative - jobs, decent working conditions, a fairer
distribution of wealth and a sensible strategy to tackle climate change and its
devastating consequences."
Peter
Cranie, the Green lead for the North West region said: "Sadly the BNP has
not gone away. They were out on the streets of Wythenshawe at the recent
by-election. We came incredibly close to stopping them back in 2009 and we're
hopeful that we will kick them out this May. If they lose their seats they'll
lose their European funding and without that money they’ll be finished as a
political force. Their ejection from the parliament will remove their
legitimacy and their right to participate in media debates."
He
concluded: "As for UKIP, I intend to expose them for what they are. Their
racism, lies, double standards and a shocking lack of policy should mean they
have no place in British politics. Our job is to engage with people about their
problems and their fears and show that xenophobic rhetoric from businessmen who
call for more cuts and less protection for working people is not the answer.
The Green Party is challenging austerity, standing up for working people and
making the case for a positive alternative."
-------------------------------------
Contact:
Cllr Andrew Cooper
Lead
Green Euro candidate, Yorkshire and the Humber
01484
667519 | 07721 348619
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